The Pittsburgh Press (June 18, 1946)
VIOLENCE ROCKS PALESTINE
18 die, scores hurt in 3 days of disorders
Port bombed, 5 British officers kidnapped
JERUSALEM (UP) --Violence, including bombings, kidnappings and attempted assassination, spread in Palestine today.
At least 18 were dead and scores were wounded in three straight days of disorders.
Continued outbreaks attributed to Jewish underground forces took on the aspects of a full-fledged campaign against the British. Violence against British Army officers here and in Tel Aviv indicated a swing from big-scale sabotage to the British military as a major target.
At Tel Aviv, five British officers were kidnapped from an officers’ club. Early reports suggested they were seized as hostages for two members of the “Stern gang” of extremists whom a military court sentenced to death.
2 wounded in Jerusalem
Another British officer and a British soldier were attacked on King George Ave. in the heart of Jerusalem. Both were reported wounded seriously.
A few hours earlier nine Jews were killed in a night battle at Haifa, where the port area and railroad shops were rocked and blackened by 15 explosions and resultant fires.
Three-hour work stoppages by Jews were carried out in both Haifa and Jerusalem as a protest against the killing of Jews in Haifa and thousands of Jews then gathered to bury their dead.
A pitched battle of several hours at Haifa ended early today. Besides the nine dead, 11 were injured, including three women. It was one of the most costly of the long series of outbursts in Palestine in recent months.
Show of strength
The bloodshed and nationwide restiveness revolved around a show of strength by the Jewish underground army and stern efforts by the British military to suppress it.
The Haifa battle closely followed the blowing up of eight Jordan River bridges and sporadic outbursts at points scattered throughout Palestine.
The bodies of two dead Jews, one of whom was carrying a revolver, were found this morning near the railroad workshops which had been damaged by the explosions during the night. Seven Jews were killed in the skirmishing of several hours.
15 arrested
Fifteen Jews, among them one woman, were jailed. A quantity of pistols, grenades and other arms was seized. The British Army was understood to have suffered no casualties at Haifa.
At least 15 explosions rocked Haifa. Low clouds hanging over Haifa Bay reflected the glow of fires.
All roads leading to the workshops were mined heavily. Traffic to and from Haifa was suspended to permit freedom of action by fire brigades. Fire brigades also sped to the airport and oil refineries, but whether there were fires of consequence at those places was not certain.
Damage high
Tentative estimates of the damage since the outburst of violence Sunday set it at $700,000 – $400,000 at Haifa and $300,000 in the blasting of the bridges.
Nearly 2,000 illegal Jewish immigrants were reported nearing the Palestine coast in two ships while British Army and police forces searched towns and countryside for extremists. One report suggested the immigrants might have landed secretly yesterday during the turmoil following explosions and fires in the Haifa port area.
Neutral sources predicted that Palestine stands on the verge of another period of riots. Most observers attributed the new outbreak to Haganah, the secret Jewish resistance army.
British armored cars rushed to the Jerusalem-Jericho road to reinforce RAF police who trapped scores of suspected extremists fleeing the ancient capital, it was reported. An unconfirmed report said military forces fought a small group of extremists in the hills near Jerusalem at midnight.
Available evidence indicates the Jewish underground, embittered by Ernest Bevin’s recent remarks on Palestine, has decided to show how strong it is. There is a widespread belief among Palestine Jews that the British tend to liquidate Haganah and have underestimated its strength.
Disavows violence
It was reported reliably that Chaim Weizmann, president of the Zionist Organization, convened a special session of the Jewish Agency executive late last night and appealed for a statement disassociating the agency from acts of violence.
British troops detained 62 persons in a search for extremists at Beth Haraba, a Jewish settlement on the shores of the Dead Sea. Twelve persons were injured during the search.